


Bonds & Bearings

by MissMegara



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: M/M, World Figure Skating Championships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 03:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10653795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMegara/pseuds/MissMegara
Summary: Helsinki, World Championships 2017.One room, two people, and not enough space at the top.





	Bonds & Bearings

**Author's Note:**

> So Worlds happened, and now that we're all suffering from crater-like wrinkles, massive hair loss and have all aged about 50 years over the course of days..... I forgot where I was going with this. So Worlds happened, and I'm afraid my brain got fried by anxiety and witnessing genius. I was clearly not capable of handling this like an adult, so my weird and highly overexcited mind came up with this instead.
> 
> As always, a shout-out to my wonderful beta [Fuchsia](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuchsia/pseuds/Fuchsia) <3  
> Thank you for still putting up with me ^_^

Javier had tried to ignore the first knock on the door of his hotel room, but the second one sounded more demanding, and he was aware that there was no hiding in here. He knew that knock. He didn't hear it very often, but he could still tell it apart because it was like no other. He already took a step aside as he opened the door, because he knew that Yuzuru would rush in without even saying hello. He wasn't being rude or anything. This just was how they did things.

"Didn't expect to see you tonight."

"Why not?"

"I figured you would sit alone in your room and obsess about your quad combo. And about making a stupid rookie mistake."

"What is rookie mistake?"

"Getting a time deduction for a late start." He tried not to smirk too much when Yuzuru rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. They were still standing in the short corridor between the door and the bedroom, Javier's hand still holding on to the handle of the closed door. "You shouldn't be here. We should rest."

Yuzuru walked up to Javier, using nothing but the presence of his body to move him with his back against the wall. Javier's elbow hit a light switch, darkening the corner they were standing in. "You are tired, old man?"

"Actually, yeah, I could use some sleep."

"I come to say congratulations. I see your short program backstage." He leaned over, cheeks brushing against each other, his breath tickling Javier's ear. "You were so good. Great jumps. Very sexy."

Javier tried to keep his hands off of him, but Yuzuru grabbed him by the wrists and put his arms around his waist, leading one hand down to lay on his ass. "It's late, Yuzu." He could feel the smirk on his lips as Yuzuru buried his face in Javier's neck, one hand running through his messy hair. "Yuzu..."

"I know you want." 

Yuzuru didn't let up, came closer. Javier felt trapped between the wall in his back and the eagerly demanding body pressing against his front. His mouth didn't get another chance to protest as Yuzuru's lips had already captured his own. For a moment he allowed himself to melt into the embrace, into the kiss he had been waiting for. He'd done good today, he deserved a reward. He let his hands roam over Yuzuru's body, pushed his shirt up just a bit, felt those hard muscles underneath the satin-like skin. "Yuzu..." It was the last thing he wanted, but he knew that he needed to stop himself. "Yuzu, we shouldn't." He gasped when Yuzuru sneaked a hand between his thighs. _'Feels like you wear boxers,'_ he heard him chuckle before he started to rub him through his sweatpants, turning Javier's knees and willpower into pudding soup. He couldn't tell how he was even able to detach his lips from Yuzuru, to make him take a step back and keep his greedy fingers to himself. "I mean it, Yuzu," he held him firmly by the shoulders with both hands, "we really shouldn't."

Yuzuru tilted his head. He narrowed his eyes, dark lines appearing around them as he stared at Javier from underneath his eyelashes. " _We?_ I can do everything. _You_ shouldn't."

Javier's breath hitched for a moment, the grip of his hands loosening around Yuzuru's arms. That was a truth that usually stayed unsaid between them. What they had was... weird. It was special, in a way, but also weird. It was separate from the rest of their lives, and also separate from all other relationships they had, be it friendships or, in Javier's case, girlfriends. He didn't like to think about it. He knew that technically he was a cheater, and he really didn't like the thought of being that kind of person. But he just couldn't help himself. He told himself that this was different, that this was the kind of secret that only affected him alone. That it was like secretly having a smoke even though he had promised to never touch those burning death sticks again. It was the same with Yuzuru. How many times had he told himself that this would be the last time, that he needed to stop, that he would keep his hands off of him from now on. But then he would have a really bad day at training or another injury, and he would start to wonder why he was still putting himself through all this torture. He would end up texting some skating buddies, just having the need to talk and be with somebody who understood, who went through the same thing day after day. And somehow, in the end, many times only Yuzuru would be the one to be there for him when he needed it the most. 

Things between them were surprisingly easy, except for those few times a year when they ended up competing directly against each other. These were always the strangest times for them, because one of them would always end up placing underneath the other. The night after the free skate, one of them would need to be comforted, and the other would be there to do just that. Because as hard as it was, they always had each other's back. They didn't actually spend much time together outside of their skating lives, and yet there was this bond between them. When it came to the most important thing in their lives, they just got each other. They understood each other's world, the ups and downs, the sacrifices and rewards, the big ones and the small ones. And there had always been this spark between them, this tangible tension, an attraction that defied all logic. 

The first time it happened was after practice at the Cricket Club. They were in the locker room, most of the others already gone, teasing each other about the messy morning session they'd just had.  
"Your quad sal gets any worse, we'll have to send you back to Juniors."  
"Oh yeah? I see little girl make good triple Axel. You must ask her tips for it."

Javier tried to hit him with a towel, but Yuzuru grabbed it and nearly pulled him off the bench he was sitting on. Yuzuru quickly stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm so he wouldn't topple over. For a moment they just stood there, holding on to each other, eyes locked. Javier watched Yuzuru's fingers glide over his forearm, slowly leaving his body as he found his balance again and stood up. Yuzuru had the funniest smile on his face when he dropped his gaze for a moment, turned around and wordlessly walked back into the shower room. Javier looked after him, staring at his naked legs and his light-blue briefs that got barely covered by his T-Shirt. He waited a few more seconds before he followed him, even though he wasn't quite sure why. He just knew that he had to. No one looked at him twice as he walked into the shower area, already wearing his street clothes. When he peeked around the corner, he saw Yuzuru disappear into the last stall. He went to the end of the room, passing the other shower stalls, all deserted because they were the only ones in here. 

He didn't even hesitate when he opened the last door and nearly crashed into Yuzuru who already awaited him, slinging both arms around his neck and throwing himself into an open-mouthed kiss. Javier grabbed him by the hips and picked him up, pushing him with his back against the wet wall, drawing a moan and a chuckle from his lips. He felt like he was about to crack a rib the way Yuzuru tightened his legs around his waist, but he couldn't have cared less. His head and body were about to explode from excitement, from this need, this want to have his hands all over him, to touch and be touched, to just get another taste of him. He could feel Yuzuru clumsily rolling his hips, trying to create any kind of contact while he desperately clung to his lips, attempting to breathe through the other one's body.

They both froze and held their breaths when they heard that unmistakable screeching noise the front door of the shower room always made. _'Anybody still in here?'_ a familiar voice echoed through the tiled room before the light got turned off and the door closed shut again. They kept standing in silence for a few more moments, quiet chuckles travelling through a room that was illuminated only by a small window near the ceiling.

Javier let go of him and put him back on the ground when he felt Yuzuru's legs loosen around his body. He winced for a second, earning a curious look from Yuzuru. "It's nothing."

Yuzuru pulled up Javier's shirt, turning him a bit sideways to catch at least some of the light. "Falling on Axel?" He let his fingers graze over the bruise on Javier's hip.

"Yeah. Three times in a row is more than my old body can take."

"It hurts?"

"Only when you wrap your legs around me. Those are much stronger than they look."

Yuzuru chuckled and pulled his shirt back down. "Sorry. More careful next time." He awkwardly patted Javier's arm before he gave him another one of those big hugs where their bodies were pressed together from head to toe, hands wandering all over and their faces nestled into the other one's neck. Javier wondered if they would pick up where they had left off before that rude interruption, but Yuzuru was already halfway out the door. "See you tomorrow?" he asked with that adorable, thick accent, fingers playing around the door knob. He smiled his broadest smile when Javier nodded. "Bye Habi," he whispered and squeezed himself through a crack in the door. 

Javier stayed standing in the half-dark for a little while longer, wondering what even had just happened. Why it had happened. He couldn't find any answers to his questions, but he was pretty sure that it would happen again. And so it did. Several times, in fact, and soon it would go far beyond only a quick but feverish kiss in a shower stall. They didn't have a relationship, none of that kind anyway, and neither of them wanted one. Sometimes, only sometimes, when he was alone with his thoughts, Javier began to wonder about what they had and where they were heading. If this even needed to go anywhere, or if it could just be what it was: weird and wonderful. Because deep in his heart he knew that this "something" they had was more than enough.

 

They had pretty much made it a habit to spend a night together after competitions, but what they had never done is get together in the middle of an event. So Yuzuru showing up the night after the short program at Worlds was something that absolutely didn't fit their usual pattern. Yuzuru had also never thrown such shameless bait into his face. Because Javier knew him well enough to realize that this wasn't something he had said in the heat of the moment, but he could feel that there was intent and purpose in his words.

"That was a low blow, Yuzu. Not cool."

Yuzuru batted his eyes at him, completely unfazed. He wiggled his shoulders free from Javier's hold and stepped closely towards him again. "I know you want me." He smirked and licked his lips in the most tantalizing way.

Javier tried to evade his advances, but Yuzuru had already grabbed him by the waist, rubbing his groin against Javier's. He shoved him back against the wall, lips locked, bodies blending into one, and for a moment Javier was ready to give in again, to just let himself get swept away. Because for all his words of protest, there was no denying that his head and his body wanted very different things. Javier let his hands wander, felt Yuzuru's moan rush through his own lips as he grabbed his ass, pressing their bodies tighter together, moving along with him for just a moment before he snapped out of it again. "No, Yuzu..."

"Don't fight me."

"Yuzu, I... Yuzu!" Javier tried to get him off, but it wasn't easy. He didn't want to hurt him, but there was no gentle way to keep Yuzuru from pawing all over him. "Yuzu, stop it." Javier didn't know what else to do but grab his arms and push him back against the other wall. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Yuzuru stared at him, a defiant look in his eyes, gasping not out of excitement but sheer annoyance. "This is wrong now? We do it all the time."

"Um, no? This is definitely not something we do."

"I want this. Now."

"Well too bad, I don't."

"I don't give up. I get what I want."

Javier blankly stared at him for a second. Then he started laughing, his hands still firmly holding on to Yuzuru's arms. "Are you serious? That's what this is about?" He kept on chuckling, the tone of his voice unmistakably dismissive.

"Stop laughing."

"You're such a junkie." He let go of him and left him standing with his back against the wall. "You just needed a fix, didn't you? You needed a win after today."

Yuzuru huffed through his nose, eyes still fixed on Javier who leaned against the opposite wall of the corridor. "I can still win."

"The competition? Yeah, I guess you could."

"Not just could. I can."

"You're welcome to try."

"I will. I can do it."

Javier raised his eyebrows and leaned forward a bit. "I know you can, and you know it too. You really thought you had to break my will in the bedroom to prove that?"

Yuzuru let his head hang low, eyes fixated on the ground, his chest heaving under heavy breathing in an attempt to swallow his agitation. "Why can I not make it perfect?"

"You don't have to be perfect."

"I always fail. I can't do it."

"Bullshit. I've seen you do it in practice a thousand times."

"Practice not important. I must do it in competition, but I can't. I can only fail."

"Good point. Maybe you should just give up and withdraw." Javier tried not to crack a smile when Yuzuru darted an angry glance at him. "Was this your plan B? To confuse us all with sex? Was mine the first or the last room you visited tonight?"

"You're not funny."

"I'm not trying to be. You're the one making a fool of yourself."

Javier took pity on him when he saw how Yuzuru pulled in the corners of his mouth, his chin slightly trembling. At first he got slapped in the arm for his troubles, but that was about all the fight Yuzuru had left in himself for the moment. Javier could feel him let go in his arms, how he laid his head on his shoulder, the rhythm of his breathing calming down and getting in sync with the body he was leaning on. "Go back to your room. Get some sleep." He gave him a peck on the cheek before he released him.

Yuzuru just nodded. He turned back towards Javier, his hand already gripping the door handle. "See you at practice tomorrow?"

"What else? Don't think I will make this easy for you. I won't fight you up here, but down on the ice – different story, buddy. I'm going to crush you."

Yuzuru smirked over his shoulder. "We'll see," he mumbled and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

 

* * * * *

 

It was a different night, but the same hotel room, and most definitely the same knock on the door. Javier went to the door, already taking a step aside so he wouldn't get run over. But when he opened, nobody came rushing through. He looked outside and saw Yuzuru standing in the hallway, wearing his usual team Japan sweat suit and greeting him with some mumbling and a slight bow. "You wanna come in?" Javier asked, one eyebrow raised. He was slightly taken aback by the situation, because normally Yuzuru wouldn't spend a second longer than needed in front of his doorstep.

"You want I come in?"

"Don't be stupid." Javier waved him in and closed the door behind him. He walked past him into the room when Yuzuru again kept loitering in the small corridor. "When I said _'come in'_ , I meant come in all the way."

"I thought maybe you not want to see me."

"I saw you after I had fucked up my free skate, I saw you after the medal ceremony, I saw you in the locker room, so..."

"Yeah. Maybe you see me too much today?"

Javier huffed. "Thanks, I'm fine. I know I can't escape you." He rolled his eyes when he noticed the way Yuzuru raised his eyebrows. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Mhmm."

"I'm glad you came."

"Yeah, obviously."

"Just shut up." He laid one arm around Yuzuru's waist and pulled him close, a little harsher than he had planned to. But the gentle smile on Yuzuru's face seemed to calm him down immediately. "You took your time to get here."

"Sorry. Too many reporters."

"Of course. I should've known." Javier cupped his cheek with one hand. He laughed when Yuzuru made their noses brush against each other. "Omedetou, my friend," he almost whispered before he softly kissed him. "I've been looking forward to this." He smiled against Yuzuru's lips. "All your hugs were nice but... I really wanted to claim the first kiss of our new champion."

Yuzuru leaned his face into Javier's hand. "I don't kiss anybody else."

"Well I guess your mother probably beat me to it." Yuzuru hit him in the arm and tried to weasel out of the embrace, but Javier held on to him too tightly. "Forget it. I let it all get away from me once today. Won't happen again."

Yuzuru didn't fight him. He laid his arms around Javier's neck, tenderly stroking the back of his head. "I'm sorry you don't get a medal."

"Yeah. It's fine. It's my own fault."

"It's crazy. Your total score was very good."

"Just not good enough."

"What happened? You can do free skate so good in training."

"Yeah, it's... things got into my head. You. You especially."

Yuzuru swallowed. He pulled his fingers out of Javier's hair, resting his tired arms on the other one's shoulders. "I'm so sorry. Very sorry for what I do after short program."

"It wasn't about that. I already told you I'm not mad about that." He gently brushed a strand of hair behind his ear. "I was in the warm-up area before my skate and I heard all the noise. I heard your score too later, but that wasn't important. It was all those voices I heard from the arena. I just knew that you had yuzu-ed it again." He smiled and caressed his face, tenderly stroking away the confused expression. "I knew you had done something that nobody else would be able to top. Because when you're at your best, then you simply are the best, and nobody can touch you. _Nobody_. I let it get to me, and then I screwed up."

"My fault?"

Javier laughed, a feeble sigh lingering within. "You showing the world perfection is not a fault." He pulled him close, wrapping both arms around the tiny waist while Yuzuru clung to his neck once again. The slender body always seemed to gain weight in his arms. It was as if Yuzuru could let himself fall into the embrace, letting Javier carry part of his burdens for a while. He didn't mind. He always felt stronger than usual holding on to Yuzuru, like he could feed from the copious amounts of energy that seemed to radiate from him. Javier heard him whisper his name. And then he felt his tongue paint circles in his ear, his teeth nibbling on his earlobe. "Guess we're done talking."

"You already call me perfect. You have more compliments?"

"I think I've stroked your ego enough for now."

Yuzuru shoved him backwards onto the bed. He climbed on top of him, barely leaving Javier enough space to crawl further onto the mattress. Yuzuru straddled his lap, making Javier groan a little as he began to push his hips down and grind against him. He hastily opened the zipper of his jacket and threw it down onto the floor before he let himself practically fall onto Javier, pressing him hard into the softness of the bed. 

"What the..." Javier made him sit up again. "Are you..." He put a hand against Yuzuru's chest, feeling the small, round shape underneath the fabric. "You gotta be kidding me. You're still wearing it?"

Yuzuru smirked and pulled one arm inside his T-Shirt before he unceremoniously dragged it over his head, revealing his naked but embellished torso. "Looks nice?"

"Yeah," Javier laughed, "looks really nice. Got a good view from down here." Javier took his hands and entangled their fingers, making Yuzuru slow down for a moment. "There was a recap on TV. I saw your skate." Javier smiled at the way Yuzuru cast down his eyes, almost blushing in anticipatory embarrassment. "It was stunningly beautiful. You deserve this more than anyone today."

Yuzuru slowly freed his hands from Javier's grip. It was the second time this happened today, and yet Javier was still surprised when Yuzuru took off the medal and put it around his neck again.

"People ask why I do this," he said, fingers grazing over Javier's chest, "but you understand, yes?"

Javier put his hand over the ribbon, not actually touching the medal that was lying on his chest. Yes, he understood. He knew it was Yuzuru's open-hearted way of sharing the wealth, of saying thank you for everything. They pushed and inspired each other, gave each other new strength when things didn't go so well. He may have lost a medal today, but he had also gained something much more valuable: he knew that no matter how deep he would fall, he could always rely on this bond that they shared.

Javier tried to give the medal back, but Yuzuru stopped him. "Later."

"But it's yours. You are the new champion."

Yuzuru placed Javier's hand over the shiny medal. "You be my champion now. Can I be just Yuzu for a while?"

With some effort Javier managed to sit up, holding on to Yuzuru's waist to keep him sitting in his lap. "You can be whatever you want with me." He pulled him close and kissed his neck, trapping the cold round metal between their hot bodies, making it disappear from their eyes and minds alike...

 

 

Yuzuru gladly accepted the offer when Javier told him to use the bathroom first afterwards. Things tended to get icky between them, at least in the bedroom department, and he was in no state to go back to his own room without taking a shower first.

Yuzuru stood in the middle of the room, getting dressed again while Javier sat at the edge of the bed, still in his boxers and sort of filthy, fishing for some socks that had gotten lost somewhere between the sheets.

"Javi... what is this?"

Javier blinked at him. "It looks like your jacket to me."

"No, I mean... you and me. What are we?"

Javier dropped the socks on the floor after finally having found them and got up from the bed. "We are here for each other."

"That's it?"

"Isn't that enough?" Javier's smile froze when Yuzuru lowered his gaze, a shadow passing over his face so fleetingly, one blink and he would've missed it. "Hey," Javier put two fingers under his chin and lifted his face up, "is that not enough for you?"

Yuzuru bit his lip and shrugged his shoulders. They had a deal about this. Basically, they were training mates and friends, and sometimes they fooled around. They knew that underneath the obvious, they also had something special, even though they couldn't define what that something even was. They simply were there for each other at the right moments when they needed it the most. But they had a deal. When one of them felt like their relationship had changed or they wanted it to be something else, they had to tell each other. That was the one condition they had set for themselves.

"I just get confused," Yuzuru said quietly. "I always know what I want. Make jumps better, make performance better, win competition. I know that I want it and what I must do. Just with you... I get confused."

"Well, let's see if we can get you un-confused." Javier took a step back to give him some space. "Are you in love with me?"

"Eh, no." Yuzuru grunted and squeezed one eye shut. "Not like that."

"Do you terribly miss me when I'm gone?"

"Yeah, but Pooh always make me feel better."

Javier sharply pulled the air in through his teeth. "Wow, missing me causes a Pooh-situation? That's huge."

"It's tiny Pooh-situation. Tiny Pooh on keychain."

"Yeah, I figured. You're probably just missing the sex, right?" Javier laughed when Yuzuru rolled his eyes and wiggled his head. He gently grabbed him by the neck and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Honestly, I don't know what we are, and I'm not sure I will ever understand. Hell, most people don't even understand how we can train together when we fight over the same medals all the time." Javier almost lost his balance when Yuzuru suddenly wrapped both arms around his neck and gave him one of those hugs that nearly cut off his air supply.

"I'm really sorry you don't get medal."

Javier smiled when he felt Yuzuru nestle up against his body, trying to embrace him with all that he got. "Yeah, I know. Me too." He laid his head on Yuzuru's shoulder and took a deep breath, enjoying another moment where he was allowed to just let go and lean on somebody. Somebody who cared deeply about him and who understood him from the bottom of his soul.

"I miss you on podium."

Javier chuckled. "You looked happy enough that you beat me. And everyone else for that matter." He tenderly stroked Yuzuru's back, letting him take that weightless plunge in his arms once again. _'I always want to beat everyone,'_ he heard him whisper quietly into his ear, _'but I really like when you stand next to me.'_ Javier held him a wee bit tighter for a while before he finally released him and let him get fully dressed. He watched Yuzuru grab his sneakers from the floor and take a seat on a chair to put them on. He'd just finished tying the last bow when Javier decided to ask him after all: "Do you want to stay the night?"

Yuzuru properly pulled his pants back down over his shoes before he looked up at him. "Why?" 

They had never done such a thing before, so the question seemed legit. "I don't know. I just thought maybe I should ask if you want to."

"You want that I stay?"

" _Do you_ want to stay?"

"For what? Cuddles?"

"Yeah, right. Cuddles. Because cuddling is what we do."

Yuzuru chuckled. "Thanks. But I must do work before I can sleep."

Javier rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, you're having a private party: you, your iPod and the score sheet of the short program."

"You know me so much."

"I know that you're crazy and obsessed."

"I make big mess in short program. I must think about it."

"You must be put on medication for whatever is wrong with you."

Yuzuru pulled up the zipper of his jacket. He tapped his hand against the pocket, just to make sure that his medal was still safely stored in there. "Get sleep, old man. Gala practice tomorrow morning." He jumped aside when Javier took a pillow from the bed and threw it at him. Then he almost lost his head laughing when said pillow nearly swept everything off the corner table. 

The door was only a few steps away, but Javier still wanted to escort him out. It seemed the polite thing to do. He'd already reached for the door handle, but Yuzuru kept him from opening it, putting a hand on his cheek and giving him one more tender kiss. "Bye Javi," he breathed through one last peck on his lips before he finally moved away and closed the door from the outside.

**Author's Note:**

> (P.S. For everyone who's waiting for an update to the series: I left a short note  
> [at the end of the last chapter](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6114295/chapters/21341564#chapter_19_endnotes))


End file.
